Chapter 5 - The Bailout
The next morning, David called me, his voice fraught with panic.
"I bailed him out," David confessed. "I had to. They were going to put him in county holding."
"You're a fool, David," I said flatly.
"He's our son! I can't just abandon him to the system. I'm taking him back to Seattle with me. I got him a job at my brother's auto shop. Hard labor will straighten him out. It's a fresh start."
"A change of geography doesn't cure a character flaw," I warned him. "But he is your problem now. Do not contact me about him again. If he texts me, I will report it to the police."
I hung up.
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With Tyler in Seattle, my life in Arizona blossomed. I started painting again, setting up an easel in what used to be his dark, messy bedroom. I reconnected with friends I had pushed away out of embarrassment. I started a garden in the backyard.
For six months, I didn't hear a word from either of them. The house smelled of fresh lavender and oil paints instead of cigarette smoke and dread. I was finally living the life that had been stolen from me.
